Title

Author

Date of Award

5-20-2012

Document Type

Honors Thesis

Department

Physics

First Advisor

Catrina Hamilton-Drager

Language

English

Abstract

The Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) 58-month catalog has produced a catalog of active galactic nuclei (AGN) selected without bias by Compton-thin obscuration. Some of the AGN detected by the Swift BAT have spectral properties that do not coherently align with the current unified model of AGN. Here, we utilize publicly-available optical and X-ray archival data to compare spectral characteristics from each wavelength range for the BAT AGN corresponding to our data. We note those objects with unusual spectral properties by comparing optical classification of these objects in a Veilleux and Osterbrock diagram. Additionally, we compare the narrow and broad Balmer decrements with the column densities determined through modeling the X-ray power law continua as a test of the unified model. 11